


Do You Like It Out Here?

by attackatosh



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 1
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Desert, Gen, Light Angst, Mild Language, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Teenagers, classic fallout, frankly idk what im doin im new here lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 17:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20709725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attackatosh/pseuds/attackatosh
Summary: The Vault Dweller and his "younger sister" have an unexpectedly sad conversation while walking to Necropolis.





	Do You Like It Out Here?

“Come _on!_” Tandi whined jokingly, clambering up onto the exasperated teen’s shoulders. “Why can’t I drive the power armor?”

“You’re not in the Brotherhood!” Hector rolled his eyes, picking Tandi up by the back of her shirt and placing her down next to him. “You realise how much this armor costs? _I_ don’t even know how much it costs, and I _bought_ it!” He sighed, looking down at her. “I know it’s not exactly fair, but they only had the one set of fresh Power Armor – and last _I_ had checked, one Hector Garcia was the new Knight… not a Tandi Sands.” He ruffled her hair as she let out a grumpy whine.

“You’re lucky I can’t bite your fingers in that thing.” She quipped sarcastically, her fist dinking off of the heavy steel plates as they shined in the desert sun. “Where were we going, anyway?” She asked, hopping up onto Hector’s back again. He sighed, grabbing her legs to hold her steady as she proudly sat atop his shoulders.

“We’re heading into Necropolis, remember?” He replied, tilting his head up as best he could to look at the kid he’d accidentally found himself enamoured with. It wasn’t even a romantic feeling; he was just… _compelled_ to treat this ridiculous teenager as his younger sister. “I’ve gotta fix that water pump and then talk to the Ghouls underground for their water chip.”

“And what happens after that?” She asked, elbows resting on his steel helmet. “You gonna show me your ‘village’ finally?”

“Well… yeah.” He shrugged. “I thought I told you about my Vault before?”

“I dunno, I don’t ‘member it.” She teased. “I remember you tellin’ my Dad about that village of yours, not far from Shady Sands… ‘Course, he wouldn’t know much about it since he came from the east, huh?” She grinned mischievously, mindlessly tapping her fingers against the metal on Hector’s helmet. “What’s it like, living in a Vault like that?”

“You’d hate it.” He laughed. “You think Shady Sands is boring? Imagine the same thing, but way cleaner and with _way_ more rules. Sure, some people in the vault are super nice, some are pretty chill… but we _all_ gotta listen to the Overseer – he makes all the rules.” Hector tilted his neck rather strangely, popping the helmet off of his armor and holding it in his arm. “’Course, if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be out here, would I? I’d be back at home, wasting my days until I finally got the training to be… I dunno, a hairdresser or whatever.”

“Do you like bein’ out here?” She asked, now more curious than anything as her elbows sank into Hector’s jet-black hair. “It’s definitely a lot different from home, huh?”

“Well, yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s a bit of culture shock, going from a clean orderly Vault and being _basically_ thrown out into the world ass-first with a fistful of fucks to throw away.”

“Colorful.” She teased.

“Hey, not to say I don’t like it out here!” He bapped her shin affectionately. “Hell, it’s certainly been fun running around and helping people that _actually_ need it. I bet the Overseer will be more delighted I made a friend than anything…”

“What, not a social kinda guy?” Tandi asked inquisitively, her brown eyes looking down and raising an eyebrow.

“Not in the Vault, no.” Hector laughed. “I think people saw me as the weird kid more than anything – since, y’know, Pops didn’t quite like lookin’ me in the eye and Mom always had the glint, y’know when someone’s done somethin’ wrong but can’t admit it.

“Ooooh, like a… a _scan-dal_ or somethin??” She gasped. “What’s that all about??”

“Well…” He hesitated. “It’s not really something you _brag_ about, T… What was your mom like?” He sputtered that last bit rather spontaneously, confusing _both_ of them as Tandi paused.

“I… Huh.” She tilted her head. “You sure changed the subject fast.”

“And you’re dodging my question.” He said plainly.

“But you’re dodging mine.” She pointed out, receiving a mumbled swear from Hector in response. Damnit, she’d got him _there_, didn’t she?

“Okay… _fine._ Mom didn’t… well… she… uh…” He was trying hard to put the words together… but to what end, who knows. “She… er…”

“I’m 16, not 6.” Tandi snarked, kneading her knuckles against Hector’s scalp. “C’mon, what’s got you tongue-tied?”

“M-Maybe I don’t like admitting I wasn’t exactly a wanted kid ‘cause I’m proof positive my mom’s a goddamn _cheater_, Tands!!!” Hector barked, causing her to jump and fall off of his armor. He sighed, stopping as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

“Okay, okay… jeeze. Sorry I asked.” She mumbled. “I didn’t realise it was such a sore spot for you.”

“I just…” He sighed, standing next to her as the back of the armor whooshed open, the tired body of the somewhat-plump teenager hopped out next to her. “It’s a sore spot because _everyone_ knew about it back home, you know?” He closed the back of the power armor, sitting next to her and checking for scrapes. “I was hoping to keep it… well, as far away from people _outside_ of the vault as I could. That, I’d hoped, would include you.”

“Hey… ‘least you knew your mom.” She mumbled, looking over her shoulder as Hector scanned the back of it, putting a bandage on a bleeding scrape. “Dad never brings up mine.”

“Honestly… sometimes it was easier to pretend she wasn’t there.” He chuckled nervously, helping Tandi to her feet. “Long story, there. In the meantime though, let’s…” He looked over at the power armor. “Let’s… get back on the road, ah?”

“I call shoulders!” She chirped, clambering up again as soon as Hector entered the armor, plonking his helmet back on. “Go, my steed! Onward to… GHOULS!” She said, already laughing again as he started to jog.

“Can’t run too fast; you’ll fall off!” He said, laughing as they continued their jaunty dash through the desert, into the south towards Necropolis.


End file.
